The field of the invention relates generally to sensor systems and methodology for detecting position and movement of an object along a path of travel, and more specifically to wireless sensor systems and methods for detecting railroad car location, speed, and heading information in a section of railroad tracks including opposed rails supported by a series of railroad ties.
Railroad transportation systems are in widespread use to safely transport goods and persons across vast distances in trains operable with much greater efficiency than other forms of travel. Trains typically include a connected string of a variety of different types of railroad cars and one or more locomotives or engines that pull or propel the railroad cars along railroad tracks. Railroad cars may be designed and are available for many purposes but generally may be categorized as either freight cars or passenger cars. Freight cars may include, for example only boxcars, flatcars, hopper cars and tank cars, and auto carriers. Passenger cars include coach cars, carriage cars, dining cars, lounge cars and sleeping cars. Various different types of such railroad cars (collectively referred to herein as “cars” for the purposes of the present disclosure) may be included in any given train.
For a variety of reasons, sensing and detecting a presence of a portion of a train, a railroad car or cars that are disconnected from an engine, or an engine in desired sections of railroad tracks is desired. Known railroad detection systems and methods, however, are disadvantaged in some aspects, and improvements are desired.